Lavrov: Acquisition of nukes by terrorists may pose huge problem

MOSCOW, November 19, 8:32 /ITAR-TASS/. Possible acquisition of the weapons of mass destructions and vehicles of their delivery by extremists and terrorist organization may pose a huge problem, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says in an interview published by the Moscow-based Nezavissimaya Gazeta daily on Tuesday.

He voiced this opinion with the regard to a threat of leakage and proliferation of sensitive nuclear from Pakistan.

“Neither Pakistan nor Indian have ever been signatories of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and that’s why they proceed from the assumption they don’t violate anything,” Lavrov says. “They’ve developed nuclear weapons and they are open about the fact, they do the testing, they improve the war heads and the missiles.”

“That’s a dangerous thing if one considers the history of knotty relationship between the two countries, including their red-hot phases,” he says.

Lavrov recalls that Moscow has acted as a facilitator of peace between the two states back from the Soviet era when India and Pakistan were still developing their nukes.

“We’re highly interested in ensuring that India and Pakistan settle all the differences between them through a direct dialogue,” he says.

“This dialogue is gathering pace gradually and we’re motivating it in every possible way,” Lavrov says. “We’re working towards a secure implementation of these programs and the assurance that they don’t call any principles of nonproliferation into question.”

In this connection, Lavrov calls attention to the process of India’s inclusion in the Group of Nuclear Suppliers, saying: “This group ensures the transparency of all of its participants, which means that civilian nuclear technologies can be supplied to India - with due observance of the rules worked out by the Group and providing the guarantees against the acquisition of wrong technologies in the hands of the countries that seek to develop a civilian nuclear power industry.”

“Pakistan would like to join the Group, too, and we’re ready to assist the process,” Lavrov says. “But unlike India that has never faced the situations where its nuclear programs of their components would be trickling abroad, the Pakistani history does contain instances of this - Dr. Khan laboratory and others.”

“We’re maintaining communication with the Pakistanis over how secure their nuclear armaments are and we know the Americans pay huge attention to the problem, too,” he says.

“From this angle of view - and from the angle of the Pakistani people - we’re interests in a full suppression of terrorism in Pakistan and we’ll assist the Pakistani leadership in every possible way in the accomplishment of that task,” Lavrov says.